Simon Polinder, who participated in the UCSIA Summer School in 2011, recently shared that his book Towards a New Christian Political Realism: The Amsterdam School of Philosophy and the Role of Religion in International Relations – originally published in 2024 – is now available in open access as of March 2026.
Published by Routledge, the book explores the role of religion in international relations through the lens of Christian political realism and the intellectual tradition of the Amsterdam School of Philosophy. By engaging both theological and political perspectives, the work contributes to ongoing debates on religion, ethics, and global politics.
The open access edition was made possible with the support of the Open Access Fund of Utrecht University and Stichting Zonneweelde, allowing the book to reach a wider international audience.
Simon Polinder is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of History of International Relations at Utrecht University. He is affiliated with the project Reimagining Religion, Security and Social Transformation, and his research focuses on the role of religious leaders in responding to violent extremism in Kenya and Nigeria. He is co-editor of Christian Faith, Philosophy and International Relations: The Lamb and the Wolf (2019), and his doctoral dissertation received an Honorable Mention for the Mark Juergensmeyer Best Dissertation Award (2023).
The UCSIA Summer School congratulates Simon Polinder on making this work openly accessible and contributing to wider academic and public engagement.